Jack Weaver fifth-graders, from left, Serina Yamauchi, Zoee Smith and Jordan Dudderar, all 10, sit on a bookshelf bench and use TV trays as desks. The students in teacher Christine Bouma's class designed the room as a learning experience that coincided with campus modernization. The room includes yoga chairs, camp chairs and a variety of other mismatched furniture items chosen to promote comfort and better learning. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 31

Jack Weaver fifth-graders designed blueprints for what they wanted in their classroom before settling on a design. The project coincided with current construction at the Los Alamitos school. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 31

Kindergartners at Jack Weaver Elementary walk past construction on their way back to their classroom after recess. The Los Alamitos school has been in the top 10 of the Register rankings for the last six years – the only six-time honoree. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 31

Kindergartners at Jack Weaver Elementary hop past construction on their way back to their classroom after recess. The Los Alamitos school has been in the top 10 of the Register rankings for the last six years – the only six-time honoree. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 31

Rossmoor Elementary kindergartners Lucas Irons, front, and Kayden Espinosa, both 5, use an iPad to do math. The school has 350 iPads for 700 students. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 31

Kindergartners work with teacher Shelli Kim at Rossmoor Elementary, a highly ranked Los Alamitos school that has posted eight years of year-over-year API score increases. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Kimberly Sizemore with her pre-kindergarten twins Maya, left, and Alyssa, both 4, and first-grade son Carter, 7. She spends time before school at the Rossmoor Elementary Media Center going over math with Carter. MINDY SCHAUER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Rossmoor Elementary fourth-grader Luke Goldade, 9, works on a PowerPoint presentation with his mother, Debbie. The school's media center is open to parents and students 20 minutes before school starts each day. MINDY SCHAUER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Stonegate Elementary in Irvine did particularly well on the Register's index on academics – with an API of 963, up from last year's 955. The school received 66.7 percent on its fitness test, the highest of the schools in our top 10, and it was a Blue Ribbon winner in 2013 and a California Distinguished School in 2010. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 31

Fifth-grade GATE student Manan Mendiratta ponders a math problem while working on the computer at Stonegate Elementary School in Irvine. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 31

Stonegate Elementary School Principal Stan Machesky awards sixth-grader Joyee Chen, 11, his chair as part of a monthly awards program, PBIS – positive behavior intervention and support. Students have a choice of their reward, including getting to use the principal's chair. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 31

Ruby Chriss, 9, shares a laugh with Spencer Fox, 10, during fourth-grade math at Stonegate Elementary School in Irvine. The children were putting together a storyboard for a movie they will make about a double-digit math problem. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 31

Sixth-graders at Stonegate Elementary School in Irvine are put through yoga exercises by certified yoga instructor Meleah Shank. First-grade teacher Jennifer Diaz said students are more focused after the class. "This is a great way to start a Monday," she said. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 31

Tyler Peters takes part in a yoga class with his sixth-grade students at Stonegate Elementary School in Irvine. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Fourth-grade teacher Chris McNatt works with Jie Jordan and Christine Chang, both 9, at Stonegate Elementary School in Irvine. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 31

Adela Tirla, 6, a first-grader at Stonegate Elementary School in Irvine, goes through exercises in her yoga class. The school received 66.7 percent on its fitness test – the highest of the elementary schools in the Register's top 10. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 31

Ruby Chriss, 9, shows her dramatic side while working with Spencer Fox, 10, right, during fourth-grade math. The children were putting together a storyboard and making a movie about a double-digit math problem at Stonegate Elementary School in Irvine. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 31

Students huddle around a MacBook Pro in Brandon Wisklocki's fifth-grade classroom at Stonegate Elementary in Irvine in this 2013 photo. They were Skyping with students at a school in Raleigh, N.C., as part of a class history project. JOSHUA SUDOCK, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 31

Piper Johnson, a fourth-grader at Jack L. Weaver Elementary School in Rossmoor, waits for some help while doing math. MICHAEL GOULDING, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 31

Jean Krever's sixth-graders at Villa Park Elementary take part in a Walk Through the Ancient World assembly after studying about ancient cultures. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 31

Megan Jun, right, looks at a pH chart with a volunteer at Science Day at Rossmoor Elementary last year. KYUSUNG GONG, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 31

Fifth-grade students Ian Ferris, Paetyn Allen, Ashley Hogan, Thomas Babineau and Chase Chorich examine Selma Bukstein's dolls up close at the end of her Dolls for Democracy presentation at William T. Newland Elementary School. MACKENZIE REISS, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 31

Cindie Grisso, a kindergarten teacher at Arbolita Elementary School in La Habra, goes over the rules on the first day of school, particularly the importance of raising your hand when you want to say something to the teacher. LOU PONSI, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Orange County’s top elementary schools view obstacles as opportunities, as reasons to innovate and flex their creativity.

This year, 22 schools were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals in The Orange County Register’s 2014 public elementary school rankings. The report assessed 371 schools on a variety of metrics including academics, fitness and diversity. Six schools earned gold medals, six received silver medals and 10 schools won bronze medals in the annual report. (Click here to view where each school ranks and why.)

Irvine’s Stonegate Elementary was this year’s leader, jumping from No. 14 to No. 1, a year after earning federal recognition with a Blue Ribbon Award. School staff say they constantly explore new ways to teach, whether by adapting to new technology or holding yoga classes to keep kids focused – all while enrollment has more than doubled in the past five years. Campus leaders readily took on the challenge – a trait common to all the schools in the Top 10.

Read the analysis

O.C.'s best elementaries: Top schools aren't afraid to innovate -- even if it means hauling out the chairs and bringing in yoga mats. And they work intimately with parents to achieve their successes.

New profiles

No. 1 Stonegate Elementary: The county's top school embraces old disciplines and the latest tech. That's right, yoga and iPads co-exist in harmony -- with both techniques used to help inspire and focus students.

No. 6 Rossmoor Elementary: Rossmoor takes parent-teacher partnerships to an entirely new level, leveraging efforts to provide students with inspirational gatherings each week and teachers with time for deeper collaboration.

Returning winners

No. 2 Ethan B. Allen Elementary: The No. 1 school of 2012 pushes students to show the reasoning behind their work, provides an additional cultural and science education focus and helps parents navigate the education system.

No. 3 Jack L. Weaver Elementary: Once an empty campus slated for sale, Weaver was reopened as a magnet-style school and rocketed up state performance charts. Weaver is the only six-time winner on our list.

No. 4 Stone Creek Elementary: School leaders helped the already-strong school excel by re-examining the performance of English learners and targeting programs to more effectively help improve their performance.

No. 5 Villa Park Elementary:Propelled by the second-largest surge in Academic Performance Index scores, the Orange Unified school leapt 61 places in the Register's rankings to secure its first spot in the top 10 in 2013. New leadership at the school helped boost teacher collaboration.

Explore the data behind the rankings

Database:Review our comprehensive database of test scores and environmental factors for all 371 ranked elementary schools, as well as K-8 and K-12 schools that were not part of this score set. Details range from Academic Performance Index scores to campus diversity evaluations.

K-8 strengths: Our K-8 schools aren't ranked, but many of the small group shine academically and in their campus environments.

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.